Land Tenure and Common Pool Resources in Rural Ethiopia: A Study Based on Fifteen Sites

The evolution of land tenure in Ethiopia during the Imperial period directed towards private and individualized property is discussed both in general terms and by examining conditions at specific localities. This evolution was brought to an abrupt end by the land reform of 1975 with nationalization. The same logic of subsistence agriculture as in traditional tenures seems to be the basis for the reform. With the abandonment of the socialist transformation of agriculture no vision about future developments in land tenure seems to exist. Privatization is suggested to improve the security of land holding, to increase agricultural investment, to assist the development of other markets as well as preserve common pool resources. L’article étudie l’évolution du régime foncier éthiopien sous l’empire, d’un point de vue général et examinant la situation spécifique de certaines localités. Cette évolution, vers une propriété privée et individualisée des terres, a été brutalement interrompue par les nationalisations conduites dans le cadre de la réforme agraire de 1975. Celle‐ci semble s’être appuyée sur la même logique d’agriculture de subsistance que celle qui sous‐tendait les régimes fonciers traditionnels. Aujourd’hui, la transformation socialiste de l’agriculture ayant été abandonnée, il ne semble exister aucune vision pour l’évolution future du régime foncier. Un programme de privatisation est suggéré pour améliorer la sécurité du régime de possession des terres, accroître l’investissement agricole, faciliter le développement d’autres marchés et préserver les ressources communes.     

Returns to Farm-Level Soil Conservation on Tropical Steep Slopes: The Case of the Eritrean Highlands

This study conducts an economic analysis of investment in simple soil conservation technologies in the highlands of Eritrea. The data used in the analysis were obtained from a farm survey and supplemented with data from secondary sources. Risk analysis techniques are used to take account of the uncertainties regarding the relationship between soil erosion and crop yield. The financial analysis reveals negative net present values (NPV_s) and internal rates of return (IRR_s) below 12 per cent for various slope categories. On the other hand, the economic analysis returns positive NPV_s and IRR_s of over 20 per cent. The results clearly indicate that investment in soil conservation technology may not be a viable short-term proposition from the farmer's point of view and yet the net social benefits are positive. There is a strong case for government to provide incentives for soil conservation in view of the economic benefits.     

GENETIC ENDOWMENTS, PARENTAL AND CHILD HEALTH IN RURAL ETHIOPIA

The determinants of long‐term child health in Ethiopia – as measured by height‐for‐age z‐scores – are examined controlling for community, household and individual level heterogeneity. The influence of parental health and the role of genetics are analysed. The height of parents is highly significant but no significant correlation with per capita expenditures is found. Food prices, birth order, sex and age of children, number of siblings of the mother, years of marriage and altitude are important determinants. Deprivations in later years are more important than during pre‐ or neo‐natal periods. Genetic inheritance seems to explain the correlations between child and parental health.     

Literacy Practices and Schooling: A Case Study from Mozambique

A novel approach to the assessment of literacy is used to tackle the issue of effectiveness of years of schooling. The dichotomy inherent in the literacy rate is rejected in favor of a “practice-based” approach, which considers literacy as a multifaceted phenomenon as advocated in anthropological and economic research. Primary data collected in the poorest region in Mozambique suggest that years of schooling have a differentiated impact on acquired literacy practices of adults. Results that are robust to different specifications are reported.     

INTRA-HOUSEHOLD ALLOCATIONS IN RURAL ETHIOPIA: A DEMAND SYSTEMS APPROACH

This article examines the effects of price, income and demographic changes on intra-household allocations by integrating the outlay equivalent method into the Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDS). Tests for separability in preferences and "demographic separability" are conducted. Longitudinal data to control for household heterogeneity are used. Results indicate that Ethiopian rural households respond to price, income and demographic changes in a more complicated manner than usually presumed; price, income and demographic changes do not have similar effects on all household members. Income changes affect men and boys more than women and girls, but variations in prices affect women and boys more than men and girls. Even though outlay equivalent ratios on average indicate discrimination against girls, girls are more protected from fluctuations in income and prices compared to boys. The results highlight limitations of previous studies that ignore direct income and price effects.     

Intrahousehold Welfare in Rural Ethiopia*

We examine the relationship between bargaining power and intrahousehold welfare in rural Ethiopia. The relative nutrition of spouses is associated with differences in cognitive ability, independent income and asset devolution upon divorce. Female empowerment benefits child nutrition and education. Spouses’ health, leisure and consumption of assignable goods show no association with differences in bargaining power. The relative nutrition and health of spouses varies across villages, but not in ways predicted by anthropological accounts of female empowerment. Bargaining variables may be weakly associated with intrahousehold welfare because surveyed households are poor and have little room for disagreement over consumption.